AAPI Artists at Coachella that Fans Are Raving About!

As we go into Coachella Week 2, here are some AAPI singers that fans are hyped to see!

2NE1

Along with a star-studded list of artists performing for 88Rising’s showcase, K-pop fans were delighted to see a surprise reunion that crowned the night. After singer CL performed her piece, she invited her former 2NE1 bandmates, Bom, Dara, and Minzy to the stage. Last performing back in 2015, the quartet performed their hit song, “I Am the Best” at the festival, making fans feel nostalgic calling it #2NECHELLA.

MILLI

The Thai rapper is going viral showing her Thai pride by eating mango sticky rice during her Coachella performance. Milli’s iconic moment tapped fans’ cravings, keeping Thai restaurants busy with the surge of orders for the sweet dish. As the first Thai artist to appear solo on the Coachella stage, the 19-year-old did not miss her opportunity to break Thai stereotypes, rapping, “I don’t ride an elephant.” Fans, including a Thai politician, are also calling her performance a use of “soft power” as she has been criticizing the Thai government. After the teenage rapper dominated the stage, #MILLILiveatCoachella has been soaring on Twitter and has also pushed Thailand to nominate their dessert to the UNESCO heritage list.

Hikaru Utada

The Japanese American singer-songwriter also made their Coachella debut, singing their ballad and the intro song to Disney’s popular video game Kingdom Hearts, “Simple and Clean” marking its 20th anniversary. Along with performing their hits, “Automatic” and “First Love,” they closed out, revealing their new song, “T,” a collaboration with their fellow 88Rising singer Warren Hue.

NIKI

Fans were not lowkey about sharing their love and awe for the Indonesian singer’s Coachella performance as she performed several of her hits including, “lowkey.” While singing, “Split,” she creatively dropped a wholesome shoutout to her father. Instead of singing the original lyrics to the song, “‘least I got my daddy, but he’s in Jakarta,” she sang that her father was present at Coachella and supporting her.

Joji

Although he was admittedly not feeling well, juggling a “medical issue,” the Lo-Fi R&B singer did not exit the stage until he made his best effort to perform for his fans. After walking off mid-way and taking a short break, he returned back on to sing but did not last long. Fans were sympathetic and concerned about his health and took to Twitter to show appreciation for him trying to push past it, posting videos of the singer apologizing and thanking them as he left the stage during his return performance. Although Week 1 did not go as planned, fans are looking forward to next week after the half-Australian and half-Japanese singer confirmed on his Instagram story that he will be at Coachella Week 2.

Beabadoobee

The rising Filipino-British singer, whose viral song, “Coffee” blew up on TikTok, made her Coachella debut. Her sweet-and-sour fuzz-pop music brought a 90s revival energy, with her ethereal vocals while strumming her guitar. Fans are also waiting with bated breath about her upcoming album, Beatopia, scheduled to be released this July.